LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) – Wimbledon organisers say they are ‘surprised and disappointed’ that leading players are planning to continue their prize money protest at this year’s grasscourt major.
This month the All England Club announced a record year-on-year 20% rise in the total prize money to £64.2 million, less than the £70 million the players were calling for.
Players are demanding a larger slice of the revenue from the Grand Slams in line with what they receive at ATP and WTA events. Some protested at the French Open by limiting their pre-tournament media activity to 15 minutes.
“Wimbledon puts the players at the heart of all our decisions and we invest significantly in them every year,” the All England Club said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This is alongside investing hundreds of millions of pounds in upgrades to our player facilities as part of a three-year transformation to create a world class player performance environment.”
Wimbledon’s record prize money pool equates to around 15% of the tournament’s revenue but the group of leading players represented by former WTA chief executive Larry Scott wanted a minimum of 16%.
Announcing the prize money this month, Wimbledon chair Debbie Jevans said she had discussed prize money with Scott at the French Open. She said unlike regular tournaments, Wimbledon distributes 90% of its surplus back into British tennis.
“Using revenue to determine prize money makes no sense and we have said that to Larry Scott,” she said this month. “Revenue does not take into account the investment that we give. We are not-for-profit, and very different to a Masters 1000.”
In Paris, women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka cut short her pre-tournament press conference, while other players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek limited their time.
Players have even threatened a future boycott.
Saturday is the traditional pre-tournament media day at Wimbledon and players are set to limit their time to 15 minutes and, according to reports, are planning to restrict post-match appearances to 15 minutes throughout the first week.
The 15 minutes duration symbolises the 15% share of Wimbledon’s takings set aside for prize money.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)